The Epstein School is an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

Jewish day school located in

Sandy Springs, Georgia Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia and an inner ring suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's seventh-largest city. It is the site of several corporate headquarters, ...

, United States. It enrolls children from 18 months through eighth grade. The

Head of School A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school. In som ...

is Dr. David Abusch-Magder. The school has a summer camp.

History

Founded in 1973, Epstein is a bilingual (English-Hebrew) school. The school was originally housed in the Ahavath Achim Synagogue. In 1987, it moved to a new location. It later purchased the building and began plans for renovation and expansion.The Epstein School
/ref> The building that was purchased was originally a Fulton County Elementary School, then called Underwood Hills Elementary. The school's mascot is the Eagle, as represented by the Epstein Eagle crest.

Middle school

The Epstein Middle School is headed by Principal Susanna Ames The school is ideologically

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

, but teaches

cultural diversity Cultural diversity is the quality of diverse or different cultures, as opposed to monoculture, the global monoculture, or a homogenization of cultures, akin to cultural evolution. The term "cultural diversity" can also refer to having different c ...

, tolerance and acceptance of all. In 2008, Epstein Middle School participated in the Faith on Wheels Project, a cultural and religious exchange with three different schools with different faiths:

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, Christian and Muslim.Diversity in action , ajc.com
/ref>

Bilingual curriculum

The middle school curriculum is bilingual. Recognizing academic challenges for students of a

dual language Dual language is a form of education in which students are taught literacy and content in two languages. Most dual language programs in the United States teach in English and Spanish, but programs increasingly use a partner language other than Spa ...

curriculum, the school also offers additional support in the learning lab and Sha'ar, a special education program. Each year, the school holds its middle school celebration of Hebrew song and dance, Shiriyah. At the end of each school year, 8th grade students visit

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

as a culmination of their studies. Recently, Spanish has been introduced to 7th and 8th graders.

Language arts

In 2009, a book previously published by Epstein Middle School students, ''Go Where Your Eyes Take You: Creating a New Future after the Holocaust'', was archived by the

USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education, formerly Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to making audio-visual interviews with survivors and witnesses of the Hol ...

.http://brookhaven.reporternewspapers.net/Articles-c-2009-05-01-155969.113118_Epstein_book_becomes_a_part_of_history.html The book was part of the students'

language arts Language arts (also known as English language arts or ELA) is the study and improvement of the arts of language. Traditionally, the primary divisions in language arts are literature and language, where language in this case refers to both lingu ...

studies, and features stories about 23 survivors of

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

and how they rebuilt their lives.

Technology/video production

Students use technology in all subject areas, and every classroom has internet-linked computers. Elective classes include digital photography, website design and robotics. Students also produce, write, and direct a weekly TV broadcast for the school. Each year, students visit to Fox 5 News - WAGA-Atlanta.lps2.com
/ref>

National recognition

In 2005, Epstein was identified as a

U.S. Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...

InnovatorThe Epstein School Offers Strong Academics to Achieve Derech Eretz
/ref> and is one of only three Jewish day schools in the nation to be honored as a 2004 Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.

Athletics

Epstein offers many sports, including tennis, basketball, soccer, track and field, softball, frisbee, baseball, and volleyball. Most sports are offered for both girls and boys.

Accreditation

The Epstein School has dual accreditation from Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). In 2009 the National Wildlife Federation recognized The Epstein School's Sustainable Educational Garden and Teaching Pond as a Certified Wildlife Habitat.

References

External links

The Epstein School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Epstein Private K–8 schools in Georgia (U.S. state) Private elementary schools in Sandy Springs, Georgia Private middle schools in Sandy Springs, Georgia Jewish schools in the United States